14/10/2026
🦷 Gum Disease: Patient Information & Guide
🩺Understanding Gum Disease
🦠 What is it? Gum disease (periodontal disease) is caused by bacteria in dental plaque that build up on the teeth and at the gum line.
⚠️ Inflammation: If plaque is not regularly removed by brushing, the gums become inflamed and damaged.
🔴 Gingivitis: Early inflammation affecting only the edges of the gums. Gums become red, swollen, and may bleed when brushing. This is preventable and treatable with thorough oral hygiene.
🪨 Calculus (Tartar): Hardened plaque that cannot be removed by brushing and requires professional removal by a dentist or dental hygienist/therapist. The Progression to Periodontitis
📉 Pocket Formation: If gingivitis is left untreated, the inflammation progresses and the gum edge no longer attaches properly to the tooth, creating a space called a pocket.
🦴 Bone Damage: As the disease progresses further, the bone support of the teeth is damaged.
🦷 Tooth Loss Risk: If not treated, teeth will eventually become loose and could either fall out or need to be extracted. Bone loss cannot be reversed, but treatment aims to stop it from getting worse.
Causes and Risk Factors
🪥 Primary Cause: The main cause of gum disease is poor oral hygiene, making it largely preventable.
🚬 Smoking: Significantly increases the risk of gum disease, promotes harmful bacteria, reduces the gums' ability to heal, and makes treatment less effective.
🩸 Diabetes: Strong links to poorly controlled diabetes can increase the rate of disease progression, while active gum disease makes diabetes harder to control.
💊 Medications: Certain drugs for epilepsy, angina, high blood pressure, and immune suppression can cause gum overgrowth.
🧬 Genetics: Gum disease can run in families, particularly rapidly progressing forms or rare genetic conditions affecting collagen and the immune system.
🤰 Pregnancy: Pregnancy hormones can aggravate pre-existing gum disease, causing red, swollen, or bleeding gums that typically peak in the final trimester. Symptoms and Diagnosis
🔍 Symptoms: Easy bleeding when brushing, red or swollen gums, tenderness, bad breath, pus, sensitive teeth, loose teeth, gum recession, new spaces, and teeth shifting position.
🩺 Diagnosis: A reliable diagnosis is made by a dental professional who probes around the gums to check for bleeding and pocket depths, and may take X-rays to look for bone loss. Daily Home Care and Brushing Techniques
⏱️ Brushing Routine: Brush your teeth 2 to 3 times a day for at least 2 minutes using a fluoride toothpaste.
🪥 Technique: Angle manual or electric toothbrush bristles toward the gum line to clean below it. Replace your toothbrush or head every 3 months or when bristles are worn.
🧵 Interdental Cleaning: Clean between your teeth at least once daily using interdental brushes (sized to fit snugly without getting stuck) or floss for very narrow spaces.
💧 Mouthrinse & Disclosing Tablets: Mouthrinses help remove bacteria and provide fluoride, but do not replace brushing. Disclosing tablets stain remaining plaque to help verify cleaning efficacy. Professional Treatment and Maintenance
📊 Plaque Score Assessment: Successful treatment requires you to achieve at least 70% of tooth surfaces free from plaque, measured using a special disclosing dye.
🧽 Non-Surgical Treatment: Dental teams remove hardened plaque (calculus) by scaling or deep cleaning above and below the gum line, usually under local anaesthetic.
🌱 After Treatment & Maintenance: As gums heal and swelling reduces, you may experience temporary gum shrinkage or sensitivity. Lifelong supportive care with your dentist is crucial following treatment discharge to monitor for relapse and maintain gum health.
📍 NEEM DENTAL CLINIC
🏠 Address: 5 Northolt Road, Harrow, HA2 0LH
📞 Tel: 020 8423 2523
